Liberal Democrats – Manifesto Pledges

On 8th June, the much-maligned centre left party, the liberal democrats and their leader Tim Farron, will be hoping to gain some vital ground in the general election - in particular those seats that they lost by a narrow margin to the Conservatives in the last general election.

Much has been made about the manifestos of the other main parties, Conservatives and Labour, but what does the Liberal Democrat manifesto have in store for voters, and for motorists?

Summary

The Liberal Democrat Manifesto contains a few key points that may interest motorists. They pledge to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme, ban the sale of new diesel cars and increase the number of electric car charging points; all pledges that are backed by a desire to reduce particle emissions and be more environmentally aware. They have also pledged to reduce the number of lorries on the road, which should have the effect of making the roads, and motorways, less congested.

Diesel Scrappage Scheme under the Lib Dem’s

In their manifesto the Liberal Democrats state that air pollution contributes to up to 40,000 premature deaths each year, and costs the NHS around £15 billion per annum; these are issues they are committed to tackling. They have included plans for a Green Transport Act and an Air Quality Plan in their manifesto. These will include a diesel scrappage scheme aimed at encouraging owners of older and more polluting diesel cars to trade them in whilst offering them a cash incentive to do so.

Ban the Sale of Diesel Cars

The Liberal Democrats have also claimed that they will completely ban the sale of all small vans and diesel cars by 2025, a further contribution to their commitment to reduce air pollution.

Vote for the Liberal Democrats if you want to see a reduction in the number of lorries on the road

Yes, you have read that correctly. As part of their pledge to reduce particle emissions they want to reduce the number of lorries on the roads with a shift in freight transport from the roads and onto the rail networks. Whilst this might well reduce the number of lorries on the roads over time, it would almost certainly require a considerable investment into the rail network as in its current form it is unlikely it would be able to support such a change.

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Electric Car Charging Points

In a further commitment towards the environment the Liberal Democrats have pledged to continue developing the UK’s electric car charging infrastructure, paving the way for a greater interest from the general public in the electric car.

In addition to all of these pledges, they are also looking at extending the reach of the UK’s current low emission zones, as well as being committed to ensuring that all private hire vehicles as well as buses, particularly in urban areas make the move to low or better still zero emission fuels. And they also aim to introduce a rail ombudsman in order to maintain the standards across a proposed extended network.

If you are concerned that your car falls short of being low on emissions, its time for change. Further more if you find yourself with a poor credit score, getting credit to finance a new car will be a nightmare! Don’t worry at Ultracar we have the answer, find out more here.